John Hickey of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports that the Mets and Mariners appear to be the two final teams in the running for the left-handed ace of the Baltimore Orioles, Erik Bedard. The Cincinnati Reds would not give up their best outfield prospect and therefore have dropped out of the running. The report also states that it seems as if the Chicago Cubs have also dropped out of the race for Bedard. Here is what Hickey has to say about the Mets:

What this means is that the competition for Bedard may come down to the Mariners and the New York Mets. But the Mets have not pushed hard for Bedard, and the Mariners, while willing to trade Adam Jones, haven’t been willing to meet all the Baltimore demands.

It would be wise for the Orioles to continue to wait out and see what happens with Johan Santana. Since the Mariners don’t appear to be willing to part with Adam Jones in a deal for Bedard, the Mets could jump in and make an improved offer if they miss out on Santana. The Orioles may be intrigued more by an improved offer from the Mets than an sub-par offer from the Mariners that doesn’t include Adam Jones. The latest offer that the Mets have made for Bedard was back in December when the team reportedly offer Carlos Gomez, Philip Humber and Aaron Heilman.